The extremely moving poem begins, “On Rosh Hashana it is written and on Yom Kippur it is sealed.” Written in Europe in the 11th or 12th century, Unetaneh Tokef, “Let us cede power,” is a part of Rosh Hashana services in any synagogue. There’s a Jewish liturgical poem that sums this process up beautifully and far better than I can. 24, 2014, in Temple Har Shalom to celebrate the new year. Members of the Jewish community in Park City gather on Sept. And those who are neither totally righteous nor totally wicked - which is to say, most of us - are left in limbo as God weighs our deeds and makes his judgment. The righteous are inscribed into the Book of Life, the wicked into the Book of Death. Jews believe that, during Rosh Hashana, God opens three books and decides our fate for the coming year. Unsurprisingly, renewal is a big theme of the period. In a sense, we’re all being recreated, rebirthed, (and judged) during the High Holy Days. It is believed that God created Adam and Eve on Rosh Hashana and that they sinned - and were judged and were pardoned - on the same day. Not only does Rosh Hashana mark the new year, it is also the beginning of the High Holy Days - Yamim Noraim, “days of awe” - that culminate with Yom Kippur, which will begin at sundown on Sept. 6, Elul will end and the new month of Tishrei will begin and, with it, Rosh Hashana. Special prayers are also recited throughout the month of Elul.Īt sundown on Monday, Sept. During Elul, we say that “the King is in the field,” meaning that God is dwelling among us, reaching out to us, drawing us nearer - and that, similarly, we should be turning our hearts and minds to the divine.ĭuring this month, religious Jews blow the shofar, the ram’s horn, a sound that reminds us of the upcoming holidays, awakening our souls to do the spiritual accounting and emotional work to prepare for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur. Rosh Hashana comes immediately after the month of Elul, which is a period of introspection to prepare us for the High Holy Days.
#JEWISH CALENDAR YEAR NOW HOW TO#
(Click this link to learn how to say Rosh Hashana the American way and the Israeli way.)īut the holiday is much more than simply turning over the Hebrew calendar. This Rosh Hashana ushers in Hebrew year 5782. Translated as “head of the year” (rosh=head ha=the shana=year), the holiday marks the beginning of the Jewish new year. Here’s the holiday as I understand it now: What is Rosh Hashana?
Whenever I think I have my head completely wrapped around this holiday, some new meaning, some additional nuance emerges, floating up into my consciousness, leaving me in awe once again.
I’m taking them in the hopes that the words and melodies and meaning of the day will penetrate their hearts and that, maybe, when they’re older, something will be stirred when they encounter Hebrew or the Jewish holidays.īut I’m also going because I realize that, no matter how much I think I know about the holiday, there’s always something new to learn, despite the fact that I was born and raised Jewish and that I lived, for the better part of a decade in Israel - where I took citizenship, learned Hebrew and studied at a secular yeshiva, a secular religious school. I’m taking them so they can feel a connection to the Jewish people - whether they end up embracing Judaism or not. Even though I’m Jewish but not particularly religious. Even though both my kids are convinced they’re Muslim.
Even though I’m certain it’s going to be impossible for them to sit still that long in the synagogue. For the first time in their young lives, I’m taking my two children - my 5-year-old daughter and my son, who just turned 4 - to Rosh Hashana services this year.